October 24-25, 2016

Port of Charleston, South Carolina

In its continued effort to provide legislative fly-ins tailored to specific policy needs of its legislative members, the SLC recently arranged for three members of the Missouri General Assembly - Representative Becky Ruth, Chair, House Interim Committee on Development and Improvement of Missouri Ports; Senator Doug Libla, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety; and Senator Dave Schatz, Vice Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure, and Public Safety – to visit the Port of Charleston, one of the nation’s preeminent ports. Working with the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA), the SLC organized briefings that addressed the Port’s accomplishments in recent years, SCPA’s governance structure, benefits of a single entity (SCPA) overseeing all the ports in the state and a host of other topics related to the important role ports play in the region’s economic development strategies. The agenda also included a water tour of the Port and visits to the Harbor Pilot Tower and terminals at North Charleston, Wando Welch and Columbus Street. The Missouri lawmakers were briefed by the SCPA’s Mr. Jim Newsome III, President and Chief Executive Officer; Mr. Clint Eisenhauer, Senior Vice President for External Affairs; and Mr. Tate Zeigler, Manager for Government Relations.

The Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) of The Council of State Governments was established in 1947 and comprises presiding officers and key legislators from 15 Southern states. The SLC is a non-partisan organization located in Atlanta, Georgia.